The Kindle, the Nook, the iPad...the Book?
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'Tis the season for electronic readers to be part of holiday shopping at Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. What will that mean for bookstores, the publishing business and the evolution of reading itself? We hear some surprising answers. Also, new census data and the political landscape, and on a party-line vote, the FCC has approved new rules for the Internet. Did "net neutrality" win over cable providers and phone companies? Will the issue end up in court?
Banner image: (L to R) Barnes & Noble's Nook, Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle
Making News
Census Data Will Change the Political Landscape ()
America's population is on the move and that could mean a continuing shift in Congressional power from Rust Belt Democrats to Sun Belt Republicans. According to figures released by the US Census Bureau today, the big winners are Texas and Florida and the losers are New York and Ohio. William Frey is visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. His books include By the Numbers: A Field Guide to the US Population.
Guests:
- William Frey: Demographer, Brookings Institution
Main Topic
The Kindle, the Nook, the iPad...the Book? ()
The Internet and e-books are taking over the reading market, for better or worse: 10 percent this year, 20 percent next year, possibly a majority by 2015. Barnes & Noble is up for sale, and Borders is on the edge of collapse, although independent bookstores might be able to capitalize. Screens require different brain functions than pages, so what will this mean for what we read, how we read and how coming generations learn to think? Will e-books be linked to video, music, games, advertising? Will printed books become luxury items while paperbacks disappear?
Guests:
- Julie Bosman: Reporter, New York Times
- Andy Hunter: Editor, Electric Literature
- Maryanne Wolf: Director, Tufts University's Center for Reading and Language Research
- Peter Ginna: Publisher and Editorial Director, Bloomsbury Press
Links:
Reporter's Notebook
FCC Poised to Approve First Net Neutrality Rules ()
By a party-line vote of 3-to-2, the Federal Communications Commission has approved new rules for Internet traffic to protect consumers by guaranteeing access and requiring more public disclosure from cable and telephone companies. When you want access to a legal website, you'll get it. When you're streaming a movie on Netflix and it gets interrupted, you'll be able to find out why. But is it "net neutrality?" Will it hold up in court? Amy Schatz covers the FCC for the Wall Street Journal.
Guests:
- Amy Schatz: Reporter, Wall Street Journal
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